Perhaps the most essential parts of the rolling mill are the rolls, as they control the reduction and shaping of the metal. A plane-surface or cylindrically-bodied roll is used (in pairs) for rolling sheets and plates, while for bars and shapes, grooves of suitable design are turned in the roll bodies. Each roll includes a body portion, or the part on which the rolling is done, and is designed so as to produce the desired gauge and profile.
It has been found during operation of a rolling mill that best results are obtained if rolls are periodically removed and checked for wear, the bodies ground, and the newly ground rolls replaced in the rolling mill. However, the art has experienced problems in developing satisfactory roll calipers of a manageable size and reasonable cost which ascertain the surface profile of both worn and newly ground rolls of various diameters. Calipers in the past have required too much manual operation and too much time. Exemplary of the many prior art patents showing gauging devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,019,066 (Balseger); 2,465,002 (Aller) and 3,744,135 (Gebel).